You are here

Sam Pinder Returns After Eight Weeks" Absence

After eight weeks" injury absence Sam Pinder returns as Glasgow's scrum half for the Celtic League match against Leinster Lions at Hughenden tomorrow evening. But this afternoon, after the team had been announced, Matthew Proudfoot, the Scotland prop, dropped out of the pack because of a calf injury.It will be only Pinder's second Celtic tournament game since he joined Glasgow during the past summer. The Scottish-qualified New Zealander damaged a finger during Glasgow's victory against Cardiff Blues at Hughenden on 5 September, the opening day of the Celtic League.For tomorrow's match Pinder displaces Kenny Sinclair. However, Mark McMillan remains among the replacements as back-up scrum half.Four other changes in personnel as well as two positional switches have been made in the XV who started the Cork match that Glasgow lost against Munster by 10-26 last Friday. Alan Bulloch returns at inside centre in a shuffled threequarter line whereas Nathan Ross, Euan Murray, and Scott Lawson are back in the pack. Bulloch, Murray, and Lawson played as replacements against Munster last week.With Bulloch's recall, Graeme Morrison switches to his more accustomed role at outside centre, and Sean Lamont transfers to the right wing in place of Jon Steel. Ross replaces Joe Beardshaw at lock, Murray steps up in place of Proudfoot at loose head, and Lawson takes over as hooker from Simon Gunn, who has a knee injury.Because of Gunn's absence, Glasgow have enlisted Fergus Thomson, Glasgow Hawks" Scotland under-21 hooker, for duty among the replacements. However, Thomson, whose twenty-first birthday was only last month, is no stranger to the Glasgow squad as he was called in as back-up for seven games last season, playing as a substitute in the Heineken Cup match against Sale Sharks at Heywood Road in January.Another recent injury absentee, Gareth Maclure, returns on the bench. Elbow damage has kept the centre/wing out of the squad for the past three weeks.Tickets for Glasgow's Celtic Cup semi-final against Ulster will be on sale at Hughenden before tomorrow's match. The semi-final is to be played at Hughenden on Friday 14 November.Tomorrow's match will kick off at 7.30pm. Glasgow's XV:15 Stuart Moffat14 Sean Lamont13 Graeme Morrison12 Alan Bulloch11 Rory Kerr10 Daniel Parks9 Sam Pinder 1 Euan Murray2 Scott Lawson3 Lee Harrison4 Andy Hall5 Nathan Ross6 Roland Reid8 Paul Dearlove (captain)7 Donnie Macfadyen Replacements:16 Fergus Thomson17 Andrew Kelly18 Rory McKay19 Andrew Wilson20 Mark McMillan21 Calvin Howarth22 Gareth MaclureAfter eight weeks" injury absence Sam Pinder returns as Glasgow's scrum half for the Celtic League match against Leinster Lions at Hughenden tomorrow evening. But this afternoon, after the team had been announced, Matthew Proudfoot, the Scotland prop, dropped out of the pack because of a calf injury.It will be only Pinder's second Celtic tournament game since he joined Glasgow during the past summer. The Scottish-qualified New Zealander damaged a finger during Glasgow's victory against Cardiff Blues at Hughenden on 5 September, the opening day of the Celtic League.For tomorrow's match Pinder displaces Kenny Sinclair. However, Mark McMillan remains among the replacements as back-up scrum half.Four other changes in personnel as well as two positional switches have been made in the XV who started the Cork match that Glasgow lost against Munster by 10-26 last Friday. Alan Bulloch returns at inside centre in a shuffled threequarter line whereas Nathan Ross, Euan Murray, and Scott Lawson are back in the pack. Bulloch, Murray, and Lawson played as replacements against Munster last week.With Bulloch's recall, Graeme Morrison switches to his more accustomed role at outside centre, and Sean Lamont transfers to the right wing in place of Jon Steel. Ross replaces Joe Beardshaw at lock, Murray steps up in place of Proudfoot at loose head, and Lawson takes over as hooker from Simon Gunn, who has a knee injury.Because of Gunn's absence, Glasgow have enlisted Fergus Thomson, Glasgow Hawks" Scotland under-21 hooker, for duty among the replacements. However, Thomson, whose twenty-first birthday was only last month, is no stranger to the Glasgow squad as he was called in as back-up for seven games last season, playing as a substitute in the Heineken Cup match against Sale Sharks at Heywood Road in January.Another recent injury absentee, Gareth Maclure, returns on the bench. Elbow damage has kept the centre/wing out of the squad for the past three weeks.Tickets for Glasgow's Celtic Cup semi-final against Ulster will be on sale at Hughenden before tomorrow's match. The semi-final is to be played at Hughenden on Friday 14 November.Tomorrow's match will kick off at 7.30pm. Glasgow's XV:15 Stuart Moffat14 Sean Lamont13 Graeme Morrison12 Alan Bulloch11 Rory Kerr10 Daniel Parks9 Sam Pinder 1 Euan Murray2 Scott Lawson3 Lee Harrison4 Andy Hall5 Nathan Ross6 Roland Reid8 Paul Dearlove (captain)7 Donnie Macfadyen Replacements:16 Fergus Thomson17 Andrew Kelly18 Rory McKay19 Andrew Wilson20 Mark McMillan21 Calvin Howarth22 Gareth Maclure